This garment relates to wearing apparel and more particularly to feminine garments such as dresses and shirts that can be converted from one length to another.
Various proposals have been made regarding garments capable of being converted from one form to another, as evidenced in U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,281, U.S. Pat. No. 1,470,849 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,629,561. U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,125, having common inventorship with the present invention, discloses a garment that includes gathering means and drawstrings that cooperate with a concealed crotch panel to provide a skirt that may conveniently be converted into pants or shorts without the necessity of removing the garment. However, none of the above-referenced structures disclose or suggest garments such as skirts or dresses that may be lengthened to allow the same garment to be worn at various lengths.
The present invention allows the wearer to make the garment change lengths to accommodate growth in children, or a desire to wear a different length garment in different settings. Though the usefulness of the present invention in relation to the growth of children is believed to be readily apparent, it is anticipated that the present invention may have equally significant application where the wearer wishes to use the garment for different events, where different lengths are more appropriately worn at each event. For example, the present invention provides a skirt that may be worn as a tennis skirt and may be lengthened to a miniskirt, or longer. As set forth below, it is anticipated that the present invention may have application in a variety of situations wherein convertible length is desirable.